Bursa Malaysia opened mixed in trading this morning with overnight movements on Wall Street also showing weak performance.
At 9.05am, the benchmark index of the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 0.04 points to 1,581.3 from 1,581.26 when it closed yesterday afternoon.
Bernama reported that the key index opened 1.42 points higher at 1,582.26.
On the broader market, losers outpaced gainers 354 to 167 while 285 counters were unchanged, 1,349 untraded and nine others suspended.
Turnover was 485.96 million units worth RM215.86 million.
Maybank Investment Bank Bhd said weaker sentiment in the US market overnight had affected domestic demand amid profit-taking activity on stocks that recorded recent gains.
"Technically, we expect the FBM KLCI to hover between 1,560 and 1,600 today, with declining support at 1,550 and 1,500," the investment bank said in a research note today.
On the regional exchanges, the Singapore Straits Times Index fell 0.73% to 2,992.86, Japan's Nikkei 225 Index declined 1.55% to 28,480.98 and the Jakarta Indonesia Composite Index declined 1.35% to 6,290.80.
Among heavyweights, Maybank rose one sen to RM8.21, Public Bank and Petronas Chemicals gained three sen each to RM4.26 and RM7.78, IHH Healthcare was flat at RM5.47, TNB and CIMB, second- both dropped two sen to RM10. 38 and RM4.35, while Top Glove dropped one sen to RM4.95.
Among the most active stocks, Borneo Oil and Icon Offshore rose half-a-sen to four sen and 12 sen, respectively, MQ Technology increased 1.5 sen to 14.5 sen and Vivocom rose 3.5 sen to 99 sen.
Meanwhile, Sapura Energy rose one sen to 15.5 sen, XOX and Nova MSC were flat at seven sen and 12.5 sen, respectively, while Aimflex fell half a sen to 25 sen.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index declined 11.7 points to 11,608.97, the FBMT 100 Index declined 10.75 points to 11,305.51, the FBM Emas Syariah Index eased 28.33 points at 12,888.73, the FBM ACE declined 29.06 points to 10,365.2 and the FBM 70 weakened 57.06 points to 15,381.93.
By sector, the Industrial Products and Services Index fell 0.90 points to 184.28, the Plantation Index rose 1.84 points to 7,151.3, and the Financial Services Index rose 33.52 points to 15,221.17
